Ingredient: Vegetable Stock

Just as a rich chicken or veal stock forms the basis of many dishes in kitchens that use meats, a versatile vegetable stock does the same in the vegetarian kitchen. This recipe, which comprises about 40% vegetables initially, yields plenty of savory vegan stock for soups, broths, stews, gravies, and pan sauces. Developed Fall, 2015 from earlier experience with sauces and stocks.

6 qt (6 l) water
1 lb carrots, scrubbed and cut into large chunks
1 lb onions, skins on, trimmed and quartered
1/2 lb celery with leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 lb mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and chopped
1/4 lb green cabbage, coarsely chopped
2 oz parsley sprigs
3 garlic cloves, crushed
10 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves

In a large pot set over high heat, add the water, vegetables, and seasonings. Cover and bring to a gentle boil. Uncover and adjust the heat to produce a fast simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes until all is very tender and cooked through. Cover and let cool. Pour through a fine strainer into a pot, but do not press on the residue. Discard the solids. Refrigerate stock up to a week or freeze in convenient portions in plastic zip-lock bags.

Tomato Stew

Developed February, 2015. The dish combines familiar fresh vegetables with canned tomatoes to yield a nutrition-packed side dish available in any season. It avoids the too sweet problem with most canned offerings. It's a versatile side dish, that pairs nicely with beef, fish, chicken, or sandwiches.

1 T vegetable oil
4 oz (115 g) sweet red pepper, diced
4 oz (115 g) celery, diced
4 oz (115 g) yellow onion, diced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes in tomato juice (Tuttarosso™ or Muir Glen™ are good)
1 c hot water
1/4 t celery seed
pinch crushed red pepper
1 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper
1 T (15 ml) apple cider or red wine vinegar
1/2 t (3 ml) sugar

Heat a two-quart sauce pan over medium high, add the oil, and when it shimmers add the peppers. Saute for 3 minutes, add the celery, and 2 minutes later, the onion. Add the salt, stir to combine, cover tightly, and lower the heat. Let the vegetables sweat for 5 minutes to soften. Then, add the tomatoes, water, and the remaining seasonings, cover, and cook for 30 minutes at a slow boil, stirring occasionally. Correct the seasoning. Serves 4 to 6, as a side dish.

Gnocchi in Brown Butter and Sage

Adapted from Marc Forgione's recipe on Food Network.

1 lb store-bought gnocchi
6 T unsalted butter
1/2 to 1 t crushed red pepper
6 sage leaves, thinly sliced
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

Sauce
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook, stirring, until the butter develops brown flecks and smells nutty. Watch it closely to keep the butter solids from burning. Remove from the heat.
Finish
Bring 3 quarts of lightly-salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi, reduce the heat to a slow boil, and wait until they float to the surface. Simmer a minute more. Taste one to make sure it's cooked through. Rewarm the brown butter over medium-low heat. Scoop the gnocchi from the pot with a spider or slotted spoon, transfer to the skillet and toss until some of the brown-butter flecks stick to the gnocchi. Add the red pepper flakes, sage and a few tablespoons of the gnocchi cooking water to form a sauce. Toss again. Add more gnocchi water if needed. Off heat, mix in half of the cheese. Divide among bowls and top with the remaining cheese. Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as part of an multicourse meal.

Split Pea and Country Ham Soup

Prepared September 29, 2012. Modified from a recipe from America's Test Kitchen. An alternative to pea soup that doesn't require a meaty ham bone. Staged addition of ingredients cooks each appropriately.

2 T unsalted butter
1 large onion (about 1-1/2 c), chopped fine
1/2 t salt
2 t minced garlic
8 c hot water
12 oz country ham steaks, cut into quarters
1 lb green split peas, checked for pebbles and rinsed
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 t dry
2 bay leaves
1/2 T sugar
1 c (150 g) carrot, small cubes
1 c (150 g) celery, small dice
1/4 c (50 g) quick-cooking pearl barley (see Note)
freshly ground black pepper

Heat butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When lightly browned, add the onion and salt.  Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add water, ham steak, peas, sugar, thyme, and bay leaves. Increase heat and bring to simmer, stirring frequently to keep peas from sticking. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the ham pieces and set aside to cool. Add the carrots and celery and return to a simmer. When the ham pieces are cool enough to handle, trim away the skin and fat, cut the lean into small dice, and add the meat back to the soup. Continue to simmer covered for 15 minutes, add the barley, and continue until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes longer. 
Variation: Replace two cups of water with a 14.5-oz can of diced tomatoes. [Note: If using natural pearl barley, add it with the carrots to allow adequate cooking] Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Season generously with pepper and add salt if needed. Hot buttered biscuits make a good side.

Meat Sauce for Pasta

Prepared and recorded September 2, 2012.

2 c yellow onion, finely chopped
1 c mushroom, finely chopped
2 t minced garlic, divided
about 3 T olive oil
8 oz lean ground chuck
6 oz pork sausage
6 oz mellow red table wine (e.g,, Sangiovese)
2 T mushroom powder
2 T ketchup
1/8 t crushed red pepper
2 T tomato paste
1 T onion powder
8 oz beef stock
1/2 t ground cumin
1 28-oz can prepared marinara sauce (Trader Joe's™ is good)
water as needed to adjust thickness

In a heavy 12-inch skillet over low-medium heat, heat 1 T oil over medium, and add the onions. Cook, covered, with occasional stirring for about 6 minutes until soft and lightly colored. Set aside in a bowl. Wipe out the skillet, raise the heat to medium high, add 1 T oil, and add the mushrooms. Saute until lightly colored, add 1 t garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant. Add mushrooms and garlic to the bowl with the onions. Wipe the skillet, add the last 1 T of oil, break the sausage into small pieces, mix in the ground beef, cooking gently, continuing to break the meat into small pieces. Take care not to overcook the meat. Add tomato paste, crushed red pepper and the wine. Reduce the wine to about one-third. Add beef stock, mushroom powder, ketchup, cumin, and onion powder. Simmer for 10 minutes. scraping the pan to release any brown bits. Finally, stir in the marinara sauce, and simmer for an hour, covered loosely. Stir occasionally, adding water if sauce becomes too concentrated. Yields about 2 quarts of sauce. Freeze extras. Well suited to potato gnocchi, pappardelle, or fried polenta rounds.

Quick and Easy Vegetable Noodle Soup

Recorded August 27, 2012. Pairs nicely with BLT's for a light summer meal.

2 T vegetable oil
1/2 c sweet peppers, large dice
1/2 c mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c baby bok choy, sliced
1/2 c fresh tomato, coarsely chopped
2 green onions, sliced thinly, on the diagonal
6 c hot water
1 t dark sesame oil
2 t soy sauce
1 T mushroom powder
1 pkg Knorr tomato-noodle soup mix

Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium high. Add the peppers, sauté until a bit colored. Add mushrooms, and sauté. After a few minutes add the bok choy and the tomatoes. When all are softened, add the hot water and the seasonings. Bring to a slow boil, and cook 5 minutes. Add the soup mix, and cook following package directions. When a few minutes remain, add the green onions. Serves 3 to 4.

Queso Blanco Cracker Snacks

Prepared and recorded August 4, 2012. Often, mid-morning or late in the afternoon, a hunger arises that is difficult to ignore. Yet, one doesn't want to kill their appetite for lunch or dinner. Ideal is a small volume, high protein, high fat nibble or nip. These crunchy, cheesy, sweet hot snacks do nicely.

1 1/4 inch thick slice of queso blanco, cut into four pieces
2 t apricot, mango, or jalapeno preserves
4 small crackers

Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium high. Place cheese pieces in the hot dry skillet. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Flip, and cook a minute or two more until the second side is also toasty. Arrange each piece on a cracker, and spoon on a 1/2 t of the preserves. Eat cautiously! They will be hot. Serves one.

Faux Kreplach

Recorded July 30, 2012. A kreplach is a stuffed noodle similar to soup won tons or ravioli in broth. Kreplach simmered in chicken stock makes a filling light supper. But good homemade kreplach take a lot of time and effort. A workable substitute is frozen beef ravioli, widely available in grocery stores such as Walmart and Kroger, for example.

12-1/2 oz (350 g) (half bag) frozen beef ravioli
3 qt (3 liter) water
1 T (15 ml) salt

Bring the salted water to a rolling boil in a 4-qt (4-l) pot over high heat. Add the frozen ravioli. Stir gently to break up clumps. Ravioli will be on bottom. Cover the pot, lower the heat, and return to a gentle boil. After the ravioli have begun to float, lower the heat to a fast simmer and cook 5 minutes more. Lift the ravioli gently with a slotted spoon and place in hot chicken stock or soup. Simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Serves 3 to 4.

Simple Chicken Soup

Recorded July 21, 2012. A lot simpler than beginning with an entire chicken. Cooking the chicken and vegetables separately gives better control over doneness.

3 lbs chicken pieces (drums and thighs)
8 black peppercorns
fistful of parsley
2 bay leaves
2 crushed whole garlic cloves
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 3 inch lengths
2 ribs plus leaves celery, cut into 3 inch lengths
3 medium yellow onions, peeled, whole
3 small parsnips, peeled and halved lengthwise 

Skin chicken pieces and cut away visible fat. Rinse well. Place in a 6 to 8 quart pot, and cover with water by an inch. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, permitting the foam that forms to coalesce and stick to the walls of the pot. Lower the heat to a fast simmer, and cook uncovered 25 minutes. Remove the partially-cooked chicken to a platter, and cover. Skim the stock of floating debris using a fine strainer and ladle. This step helps produce a clear stock. Tie the seasonings in cheese cloth, a paper coffee filter or a tea ball. Add the onions and the herb bundle to the pot and bring to a boil, lower heat to a fast simmer, and cook uncovered 10 minutes. Add the other vegetables and seasonings to the pot, adding water as needed, and simmer for 20 minutes. Return the chicken and simmer another 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are tender. Discard the herb bundle. As a first course, serve the stock plus matzo balls, kreplach, or egg noodles, cooked separately. Next, serve the meat and vegetables as a second course.

Cuban Sandwich

Recorded May 21, 2012.

sliced baked ham
sliced garlicky roast pork
sliced dill pickles
provolone, Swiss, or cheddar cheese
yellow mustard
softened butter
crusty French or Cuban bread

Cuban Sandwich Ingredients

Slice loaf lengthwise. Spread mustard on both inside surfaces. Layer ham, roast pork, cheese, and pickle slices on bottom and cover with top. Press down firmly and spread butter on the outside. Grill under a heavy cover or in a panini press until toasty and cheese has melted. Slice diagonally into sections for serving.

Crispy Pita Points

Pita points, dolmas, tabouli, & hummus

Recorded July 27, 2011, after many decades of making them.

white pitas
olive oil 
coarse salt
granulated garlic

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Spread a little olive on the hot surface. Refresh each pita with a light mist of water, place top down on the hot surface, and grill for about 2 minutes until lightly browned. Turn over, and grill another 2 minutes. Remove and dust lightly with salt and granulated garlic. Cut each pita into 8 points with a sharp knife, and serve immediately. Great as platform for range of dips and salads, or with a mezze platter. Hint: A trigger sprayer filled with water is often handy in the kitchen.